Rita seemed even more confused now.
“I’ll translate the British for you,” Stella said. “It means hurry up already!”
Riley was nearly in stitches, but she pulled out all the acting ability she had and somehow managed to keep from laughing. She was willing to bet an entire movie paycheck that Rita had never been spoken to in such a way.
It was awesome.
“Hurry up, indeed,” Leah said. “Miss Hartwell has a pedicure in thirty minutes, a manicure in two hours, and then drinks with friends at six this evening. So let’s crack on, yeah?”
“Uh… sure,” Rita said. Clearing her throat, she tugged her blouse down and appeared as if she were trying to gain the upper hand once more. “Riley, tomorrow night, I want you arriving with Rowan Keene. There will be plenty of booze around, so he’ll probably be sloshed an hour in. That is if he isn’t drunk before he even gets here.” She laughed as if there was something funny about the man’s addiction. “Is there any chance I could get you to drink with him?” She raised her eyebrows suggestively.
Even playing the role of a spoiled stuck-up star, this request was too much for Riley. “Absolutely not.”
Rita’s shoulders slumped a little as her smile faded. “Figured as much. Okay, well, do what you do and nag him about his drinking.”
Riley wanted to tell the woman off. First of all, it was all kinds of wrong and insanely unethical to use Rowan in such a way. Secondly, Riley had nevernaggedRowan. She saw him one time when she tried to help him. But that was neither here nor there. Whatever Rita was planning for tomorrow wasn’t going to come to fruition, anyway.
“Of course, this is an invitation-only party and I’ve issued you and Rowan both one.” Rita’s eyes fell to the “entourage” as she spoke, the implication clear.
Riley suppressed a grin. Again, everything the agent said was irrelevant right now. But she’d play along.
“Of course, the important thing, darling, is that a scene is made. We want this everywhere! Trouble in paradise. An up-and-coming star on a collision course with disaster. His troubled girlfriend trying desperately to save him! It writes itself.”
There was more than a little contempt in Katie’s voice when she said, “You’ll no doubt have lots of press here.”
Rita snorted. “Press? Darling, you don’t know a thing, do you? Reporters aren’t shit anymore. Influencers are who I’ve invited. Along with all the bigshot producers, directors, and actors. More than a few investors.”
Anyone you can bilk out of money, Riley thought.
She looked beyond her agent to the towering mansion that sat in the distance.
A mansion that was probably bought with all the cash Rita had swindled. Riley burned with anger as she thought of those senior citizens and their estates Rita had taken control of. The anger intensified when she thought of the way she was willing to use Rowan’s addiction as a pawn in her scheme.
Not to mention everything Rita had done to Riley.
So, she meant every word of it when she said, “Don’t worry, Rita. I’ll be here tomorrow night. I wouldn’t miss it. And trust me, it’s going to be an evening you and none of your guests will ever forget.”
Rita smiled in satisfaction.
Don’t get too happy, lady, Riley thought. If you only knew.
Oh, if you only knew…
Chapter Twenty-Seven
That evening, they all gathered at Auntie Athena’s for dinner.
“All right, while y’all were doing your thing, Stryker and I were doing ours,” Harrison told the group that was assembled on the patio and into the backyard. The smell of grilled meats still hung heavy in the air. “We made a few calls and it wasn’t hard to get Rita’s guest list.”
“That’s an understatement,” Stryker added. “She’s practically posted it on social media. I guess she likes to brag about knowing some industry heavyweights.”
Riley nodded as she finished the bite of burger that was in her mouth and said, “Typical Rita. If everyone only knew. They think this is a fundraiser for the children’s hospital. But I bet you anything she’s embezzling some funds.”
“She’s a hundred percent embezzling the funds,” Harrison replied. “She’s hosted fundraisers for the hospital before. Get this: her last benefit supposedly raised close to two million dollars. I reached out to a contact of mine in the hospital’s endowment and charity program that we’ve done some work for, and she confirmed Rita only donated a tenth of that.”
“Gotta pay for that big mansion somehow,” Katie observed.
Eli took a sip of his soda and then said, “So, she’s stealing from the people who attend her fundraiserandstealing from sick children. Oh, this makes me want to ruin her little party even more.”
